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Introduction + Plot

SUPER III is a fast-paced, adventure game that combines action-platformer and puzzle-platformer mechanics. The game follows the story of an alien named III (Three) and his self-imposed mission to rescue survivors, post-war.

The destruction brought on by war causes a 90% drop in all inhabitable land masses. This leaves chunks of land and ruin floating about space. III takes it upon himself to utilize his teleportation abilities for the powers of good. He plans on travelling the galaxy, rescuing survivors, and helping others along the way.

However, The King, his servants, and many others believe that the survivors should be enslaved by the victors of war. It is up to YOU to prevent them from standing in III's way!

Game Flow + Mechanics

SUPER III is an adventure game with an over-world and mission system similar to that of Super Mario 64. The over-world consists of several rooms filled with many portals. Each portal contains a level that has several missions to accomplish (including secret, undocumented missions) and new portals are turned on as the player collects batteries within the game. Batteries are rewarded after completing missions and can also be found in secret areas.

SUPER III started as a jam game for IndiE3 a few months back. My goal was to keep the game very pure and simple. III has the basic platforming abilities: run, jump, and wall-jump. He is also equipped with a teleportation mechanic (while in mid-air) that allows him to instantly travel to the nearest wall/block in the direction that he is facing. Paired with the screen-wrapping environment, this makes for some fun and interesting gameplay/puzzles.

Enemies

Simple enemies can be defeated by simply teleporting through them or by hopping on their heads. Later on, enemies become more complex and may need to be handled strategically by teleporting to stun followed by a bonk on the head, or by teleporting at them from a vulnerable side.

Special Blocks

The game will feature at least five distinct worlds, each with a unique look and feel. Each world will include many different hazards and challenges, which will also include special block types that have an effect on how you traverse the world.

Missions

The levels in the world of SUPER III each contain multiple missions. These missions will test your speed, reflexes, puzzle solving skills.

The most common missions include rescuing survivors, collection scrap metal (screws), and slaying particular groups of enemies. However, there are plenty more mission types to discover and even a few that won't clearly be mentioned in game. Discover all of the mission types and collect all of the hidden batteries as a reward!

Bosses

At climactic points, massive enemies may block your path. Each has unique strengths and vulnerabilities that test the techniques that you have learned throughout prior levels.

Here is an example of a boss that you will encounter during World 1. This guy seems pretty small at first, but as he takes hits he gets angrier, which in turn makes him bigger! Try not to fight him in a tight room or you might be in trouble.

Rapid Iteration + Open Development

Our development cycles have always been about short, rapid iterations over our designs and even our art assets. Using Game Maker: Studio we can get our ideas out of our heads and into a playable demo in a matter of hours. We also have the ability to quickly test our product across multiple platforms with ease.

With SUPER III we are also tweaking our development approach. Before, we used to run a development blog to show off polished work to the public. Now, we are much more open with the community. We show off very early concepts like the jumping rectangles above and enjoy open conversation with those who provide feedback. Below are some character redesigns that were influenced by the members of the TIGSource Forums.

We encourage everyone to follow the development of SUPER III and give us feedback! Positive or negative, we appreciate attempts to improve the game for both the team and players alike!

Sound

SUPER III will feature an Original Soundtrack (OST) composed by the BAFTA award nominee Joel Corelitz. Joel is known for his work on games like The Unfinished Swan and Hohokum.

Concept Art

Temmie Chang was brought on board to contribute concept art for the game. She has demonstrated her talent on other titles and her work for SUPER III will be compiled into an art book that will be exclusively offered as a reward over the course of this Kickstarter campaign. Below are some examples of her work.

SUPER III is currently in its early alpha stages. The game originated as a small jam project during the course of IndiE3 and has evolved over the last two and a half months into what you see here.

The game is being developed using YoYo Games' Game Maker: Studio. GM allows us to implement all of our base mechanics in a very short period of time as well as test our gameplay on numerous platforms.

The player mechanics and controls are in place, the systems involving the different worlds, levels, and missions are mostly complete, and we have implemented a good deal of final art that spans the first three worlds within the game.

Our most difficult tasks at hand are the completion of the rest of the in-game art assets (including numerous large boss animations) and the design and scripting of many more mission types. We will also be working closely with Joel Corelitz on designing the sound effects and an original soundtrack that properly fits the world of SUPER III.

The Game (Digital): You will receive one DRM-Free copy of the game for the platform of your choice (PC, Mac, orLinux) and a Steam key if we are successfully Greenlit. We are also exploring the idea of porting to PS4, PS Vita, and Xbox One! We will keep you updated on the details.

Game Manual: Remember the good old days when games used to come with pretty manuals? We do! Get your retro-style manual, where we will shed information about the plot, basic gameplay tips, and more. You'll be able to get this reward as either a digital PDF or as a paperback booklet included with your physical copy of the game.

Early/BETA/ALPHA Access: Get to play the game before it's officially out! This also means that you will be able to give us feedback and help tailor the game to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone! We will announce the dates for each of these milestones in one of our project updates, so keep an eye out!

Artbook: Tem is working on a beautiful art book filled with illustrations and concept art from the game! We are offering three different editions: Digital PDF, Paperback and Hardcover. Don't miss your chance to get this exclusive Kickstarter item!

Soundtrack: Take this opportunity to own the beautifully composed chip-tune music from SUPER III, composed by Joel Corelitz. You'll be able to get it in it's digital version (FLAC and mp3) or get the CD in it's own box with gorgeous cover art.

Poster: Get to hang a beautiful SUPER III illustration anywhere you want! You'll get to choose between three designs printed in high quality glossy paper.

Your name in the RNG pool: Whenever you rescue a survivor, the game will choose a random name from a list to display on the screen. Imagine how cool it would be to be playing and see your name pop up, or even better, have your favorite streamer or YouTuber get your name when rescuing a survivor and be forever immortalized in their channel!

SUPER III T-Shirt: Get to wear an exclusive T-Shirt with a design from SUPER III. You will be given the choice between S, M, L and XL sizes.

SUPER III MousePad: Enjoy looking at a beautiful SUPER III piece of art every time you look down at your mouse, which you shouldn't be doing very often really. Seriously, the monitor is up here.

"Thank You" Postcard: Get a postcard signed by Zack and Alejandro, and get to brag about how you got their signatures before they were half-internet-famous. True hipster status.

SNES Swag: Get your very own USB SNES controller so that you can enjoy SUPER III the way it is intended to be played! You will also get an SNES-inspired game box to bring back old memories and make you nostalgic.

Here's a breakdown of all the rewards:

The two of us (Zack and Alejandro) met as students at DigiPen Institute of Technology. We worked very well together and soon formed SUPER 91 Studios. We have worked on several projects together and became acquainted with the rest of the team along the way.

Our Kickstarter campaign is not aimed at filling our pockets. The two of us are incredibly lucky to be backed by our very supportive and understanding friends, families, and significant others. We would not be as far as we are today without them.

We have already invested as much as we can personally into getting this project off of the ground. This includes the first few months of artwork, filing SUPER 91 Studios and all the fees that going along with that, Greenlight submission costs, and software licenses.

This campaign is for the sole purpose of supporting the creative development team that we have worked with for quite some time now. We have budgeted the rates of our artists and composer, very closely. However, the project has grown from its days as a jam game and the team needs YOUR help in order for SUPER III to see completion.

We are SUPER 91 Studios, a team of independent game developers, formed in Seattle, WA during our time at DigiPen Institute of Technology. Our studio focuses on making games inspired by those made in the Super Nintendo (SNES) era. Our ideas feature classic 2D pixel art and chip tunes and emphasizes simple, but clever mechanics and tight controls.

Zack is responsible for the programming and design of SUPER III. Commonly known as, "The FROG SORD Guy", Zack is an avid Game Maker user and a fan of quick design iterations and simple solutions.

Apart from game development, Zack is also a studio musician and private drum instructor. He grew up south of Seattle, WA and attended both The University of Washington and DigiPen Institute of Technology.

Every team needs "that guy" who solves every problem that arises and is willing to do the tasks that no one else wants to do. This can include anything from updating websites, contacting the press, budget the game, plan a Kickstarter campaign, etc. Alejandro is that person in SUPER 91 Studios.

Initially a programmer, Alejandro has moved onto more of a Producer role due to his nature of always wanting to help people and find ways to overcome obstacles that arise so that the team can continue working smoothly. He also helps with the design of the game, bouncing off ideas with Zack. His main concern is keeping the game on track, within budget and increase the game's awareness.

The man behind the pretty in-game art. When working with a programmer who prefers to implement features quickly, you need an artist that is just as fast to keep up. Hunter is definitely that artist, being able to produce high quality assets in record time.

In addition to scoring the BAFTA-nominated soundtrack for Sony Playstation’s The Unfinished Swan and creating original music for Hohokum, Joel’s work includes songwriting, production, sound design, installation programming and musical interface design.

A longtime and frequent collaborator with Leviathan (best known for the visuals behind Amon Tobin’s ISAM tour), Joel’s material exists in the musical space where worlds collide - where music meets sound design and bleeding-edge technology meets heart and soul.

Favorite Game: Metroid (1986)

The people that can make this possible! Thanks to your support, we will be able to make this project a reality and deliver a game that is both fun to play and high quality.

When making games, money isn't the only important aspect. Being able to get feedback almost instantly on game decisions, be it related to the design, art or sound, is invaluable. This is why we want to encourage each and every one of you to help us shape this experience! So even if you can't support us by pledging to our project directly, you can still be a backer by following our project through social media, website and DevLog. Be open to share your opinion with us. We will really appreciate it!

Favorite Game: SUPER III

Seriously, we wouldn't be able to pull this off without your help. Thank you so much for stopping by and offering your support! Together, we can build a game that we can be proud of and that will bring joy to everyone. Let's make this dream a reality!

Risks and challenges

Games are hard.

Seriously, developing games is difficult and as a team, SUPER III will be our first commercial product. However, we have all worked together for quite some time and are both confident and proud of the work that has been put into SUPER III thus far.

Our biggest challenge will be balancing the scope of the project with the needs and expectations of both the community and our team. As our goals become larger and we receive more and more feedback from YOU, the game grows. We need to keep this in check and focus on creating the best product that we can within a reasonable time frame.

As of creating this page, the game is already in good shape. The programming and mechanics are in place and plenty of art and design has been implemented. We want to stress that SUPER III is in its early stages, but it is also coming together at a rapid pace.

We have done everything we can to mitigate time constraints and utilize our budgets wisely. Stick with us to the end, and SUPER III will be as great as we all believe that it can be.

FAQ

We are currently on Steam Greenlight trying to get into the platform. If we are Greenlit, then everyone in the tiers $12 or above will receive a DRM-Free copy of the game for PC, Mac or Linux PLUS a Steam key, if they have an account.

We are developing our game using GameMaker Studio. This lets us easily make a build of the game for PC, Mac and Linux. YoYo Games is also working on their PS4, Vita and XBox One ports, so we are definitely thinking of going to those consoles as well.

A ton of people have been asking about 3DS and Wii U. Porting to those consoles is a bit more complicated and we still haven't talked to Nintendo to get our hands on some DevKits. However, we will be contacting Dev companies that specialize in ports, such as Nicalis, and we will make an announcement if we decide to target those consoles as well.

TL:DR:
- PC, Mac and Linux for sure.
- PS4, Vita and XBox One are very likely.
- 3DS and Wii U not in our plans at the moment, but we might consider it soon.

We do like the idea of releasing SUPER III for mobile, but not in it's current form. We are not believers of porting games that were designed with other platforms in mind to mobile, as the control scheme, screen size and a lot of other things don't match correctly.

However, we have tested a runner version of the game, similar to Rayman's Jungle Run for mobile, which is super fun! We will try to develop that one if the retail version of SUPER III does well.

Both programmers in the team, Zack and Alejandro, have very supportive families who pay for their living expenses. In order to reduce costs from the game and have a more realistic Kickstarter goal, they decided not to ask for any money for themselves. Instead, all the money is going to be used to pay contracted artists and composers.

We will support Xbox controller directly. Other controllers, like PS3/PS4 and the SNES USB controller will also be supported, but may require a third-party software to work correctly. In any case, we will provide a detailed guide of how to get any controller to work bundled with the game.

We are planning on releasing a Press Demo for SUPER III about halfway through the Kickstarter campaign. This Demo will be intended for Press and Backers for now. We will consider releasing it for the general public in the next few weeks.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

SUPER BETA BUNDLE PACK
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Can't decide between the Soundtrack or the Artbook? Get both and more!

►Everything from the $15 tier.
►Exclusive BETA access.
►Get the Digital Soundtrack AND the PDF Artbook.
►Digital Game Manual.
►Extra digital copy of the game (platform of your choice).
►Two more HD Wallpapers.